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How to Import Outlook to Thunderbird Local Profile & Folders

Having Difficulty to Import Outlook to Thunderbird?

Majority users switch from Outlook Mail to Thunderbird (TBird) due the fact Thunderbird is open-source email client (free of cost), compatible with Windows, Mac OS, Linux. However, they confront a noteworthy issue while importing Outlook to Thunderbird Local Folders like invalid characters, missing folders & are unable to find proper step-by-step process importing Outlook Profile to Thunderbird from Outlook 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013 & later editions.

Well now,
You have landed up in an apt blog, where you will find different ways import mail from Outlook to Thunderbird Default, Local Profile & Folders.

Did You Know : You Can’t Import PST Directly into Mozilla Thunderbird?

To import Outlook mail to Thunderbird, it requires a compatible version of Outlook to be installed on the machine. As it’s a well known fact, that Microsoft Outlook stores data in PST file format, which is a proprietary format. Thus, Thunderbird does not actually understand a “PST” file & data present within the file. Moreover, there is no In-built or intergral Import facility by Thunderbird which lets you browse PST File or directly import to Thunderbird Local Folders, if Outlook 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021 is not installed.

Why Not the Add- Ons?

The greater part of the clients download Add-ons from a hazardous webpages to import mail from Outlook File to Thunderbird Default Profile. However, they are not aware that they can be the victim of data breach, identity leak problems.

Do Not Worry – Just Take A Deep Breath!
In this section, we are going to introduce different methods using which the user can import Outlook to Thunderbird without any data-related issues.

Outlook to Thunderbird

S.No. Table of Content
1 Native Thunderbird (TBird) Import
2 Using IMAP Account
3 Looking for a Quick Way to Import

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Fastest Methods for Import Outlook to Thunderbird

Method 1 : Native Thunderbird (TBird) Import

Outlook Profile to Thunderbird

There are many users who are unaware of the Original Import option provided by Thunderbird. To use this Native Tbird Import option, you need to set Outlook as the default email client then to go to Tools > Import > Mail in Thunderbird. Basically, this method uses SimpleMAPI calls to Outlook and Outlook accesses the contents of the personal folders (.pst) file.

Note :

To make use of Import option provided by Thunderbird the user need to set Outlook as the default email client. If it is not set then the error will occur:

Outlook default error

How Do I Export Outlook to Thunderbird with this Native Import?

To import Outlook Mail to Thunderbird via using Native Import feature of Thunderbird, the user need to follow the step-by-step process given below:

Open Thunderbird and navigate to Tools > Import

Select Type of material to import as Mail option, Then click on Next.

Select Outlook & Click on the Next button

View summary of all the messages that are imported

Preview Imported Outlook emails in Thunderbird

Do Remember:
  • Thunderbird is a 32-bit program, so it cannot import from a 64-bit version of Outlook.
  • There is no concept of Outlook identities or profiles related to Thunderbird. Thus, Thunderbird only imports from the default identity or profile
  • If the user is having multiple identities or profile then he/she has to set one as the default and then import Default Outlook profile using Thunderbird.

Method-2: Use IMAP to Move from Outlook to Thunderbird

Gmail Intermediary IMAP Email Account Method

Another way to import Outlook to Thunderbird is to sign up for a free IMAP account (Gmail) and then add Gmail account to Thunderbird & Outlook. This IMAP account acts as an intermediary to migrate Outlook Mail to Thunderbird. IMAP supports remote folder on the server that the user can access just like the local folder. Thus, IMAP email account method can be applied.

A Word of Caution: :
In Outlook all the folders are stored within a single PST file. Thus, Outlook does not care about the folder names. However, Thunderbird stores all the messages for each folder in a file named after the folder. So, characters in the folder name can cause problems when importing to Thunderbird. As the characters can be invalid filename characters for the user’s operating system. If the user is facing an error message that is Thunderbird is unable to create a folder. Then the user needs to rename all the folder in Outlook to use 7-bit alphabetical ASCII characters and then try again. Sometimes, the issue occurs when two child folders with the same name are present under two different parent folders. Then, in such case, the user needs to rename one of the child folders.

verified way

Here, Comes the Simplest Solution!

Import Outlook to Thunderbird in Just 4 Steps

The most reliable and easiest way to move Outlook emails to Thunderbird is:

  • Finding the Location of PST/OST File
  • Convert – Outlook data file to MBOX
  • Find Thunderbird ‘Local Folders’ Directory and Copy MBOX file
  • Restart Thunderbird

Let us Dig A Little Deeper!

Step 1: Find Local PST Files

Outlook stores PST and OST file in the application data folder on the user’s Windows system. Thus, first, the user needs to find the exact location of PST/OST files in the system.

Step 2: Convert Email from PST format

  • For Converting PST Files: The user can easily convert MS Outlook data files to MBOX with the help of SysTools Outlook to MBOX Converter. The software supports both Outlook PST file types: ANSI or UNICODE and also converts Outlook emails to MBOX file format without any file size limitation.
    Note : Incase you have OST File, then user can make use of SysTools OST to MBOX Converter to convert multiple OST files into MBOX file format.

Converting Outlook Data File to Thunderbird

Browse Outlook Data file
Click on Export
Export Complete Window
Import Outlook to Thunderbird
Choose options

Step-3: Find Thunderbird ‘Local Folders’ Directory and Copy MBOX Files

To find the local folders directory in Thunderbird:

Browse MBOX in Thunderbird

Finally, you have to restart Thunderbird and you will be able to see the mailbox in local folders list.

See How Simple That Was!

When users need to migrate Outlook to Mozilla Thunderbird, then they search for a simple and reliable process to Import Outlook to Thunderbird Profile & Folders. Thus, in the above section, we have explained different methods using which the user can easily transfer Microsoft Outlook emails to Thunderbird.